VIF Network - #UNEXAMINABLE

In Romania, despite being condemned by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a human rights violation, virginity testing is still carried out in legal-forensic facilities. Parents can request this exam for their daughters for a fee. In 2019, around 1,000 virginity tests were conducted, accounting for 2% of all exams performed by the National Forensic Institute. As Romanian high school students prepared for the Baccalaureate, a national evaluation exam, we wanted to raise awareness about another exam that some teenagers are still subjected to today: the virginity exam, also known as the "two-finger" test, which is an abusive practice. So we launched the #UnExaminable campaign, which includes an emotional video that draws a parallel between the Baccalaureate and virginity exams, and an online petition for people to sign in support of our cause.

Campaign film

Case Study

Campaign Board

Results

On its launching day, the 6th of June, the #UnExaminable campaign gained significant media attention as major outlets featured articles on the subject. This included Prima TV, PRO TV, EuroNews, B1 TV, Antena 3, Antena 1, and DIGI TV, reaching an audience of almost 18 million viewers for free. The petition garnered over 20,000 signatures in the first two days and increased to 35,000 after a week, with the help of 35 Romanian influencers who joined the cause and shared the petition. Within just five days of the campaign launch, the Mina Minovici Institute of Legal Medicine (INML) became the first and largest unit to stop issuing virginity certificates upon request. This decision was made after civil society responded to the campaign and raised awareness about the harmful practice. The Minister of Family commended the decision and encouraged other medical units to follow suit. The petition has since been submitted to authorities, and we hope they will eliminate the tests from all medical units. The project was created pro-bono, and the team included notable names from the Romanian film industry, such as director Iulia Rugina, actress Voica Oltean, composer Mihai Dobre, and photographer Adi Bulboaca.

CREATIVE TEAM

AGENCY: DDB ROMANIA CD: ROXANA NIȚĂ AD: ANA-RAMONA TANASĂ CW: ALEXANDRU ILIESCU